John James Audubon Show at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

Sep 6

This was a small show of Audubon’s artwork. To see the likes of a famous artist’s work such as Audubon travel to Spokane is rare, so I had to catch the show when it was here. The show was a good introduction to his artwork. For a more comprehensive look at his life’s work, check out one of his many publications. The show included mostly medium to large-scale color prints from engravings. It was interesting to see part of the process behind making the prints. One of the metal, engraved plates was on display and the print produced from the plate was shown next to it.

I would have liked to seen more sketches/preparatory drawings, and watercolors/paintings. It would have complimented the prints nicely. My favorite piece was an original small watercolor painting of a black bird. All of the prints however had impressive details. I also learned that he was self-taught, which is an impressive feat in and of itself. Animals, aside from people, are one of the most difficult things to draw/illustrate well. If you’re a bird/animal lover, you’ll love the show! I would recommend the show and was happy I took the time to go. Note: Images included in this blog may or may not be part of the exhibit.

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